Protective garments such as surgical gowns are well known. The usefulness of these garments is generally influenced by a number of factors, such as breathability, resistance to fluid flow, barrier protection qualities, etc. Comfort of the garment is also an important factor. For example, a surgical gown must be comfortable to a person wearing the garment for extended hours. Factors affecting the comfort of the garment include the stretch properties, softness, and breathability of the garment material. Materials that are soft, stretchable, and breathable are typically more comfortable than materials that do not have those characteristics.
Conventional disposable surgical gowns are commonly constructed from a nonwoven fabric. The gown body section is generally a singular piece of material, or is composed of a number of panels of material attached together, for example, a front panel and attached side panels that also define a back section of the gown. Sleeves are attached to the gown body by any number of known techniques. An example of a surgical gown made using raglan-type sleeves attached to a one piece gown body is the Lightweight Gown (product code 90751) from Kimberly-Clark, Corp. of Neenah, Wis., USA.
A drawback to the conventional gown design is that the gowns tend to be unduly restrictive in the chest and torso regions, particularly for larger wearers. To accommodate various sized users, the gowns are offered in different sizes (e.g., “medium”, “large”, “extra-large”, and so forth). However, even with such size variations, many users cannot be adequately accommodated. For example, a user of shorter and broader stature cannot reasonably wear an “extra-large” gown, but may also find the smaller sized gowns to be uncomfortable, particularly in the chest and torso regions.
Also, although the known neck and waist fastening systems of conventional gowns have some degree of adjustability, many users find the gowns to be restrictive in these regions as well.
An additional drawback to conventional gown configurations is that the gowns tend to restrict the user's ability to sit comfortably. The gowns tend to wrap relatively tightly around the legs of the wearer in the seated position and prevent movement of the knees. Because of the restrictive forces, the gowns also tend to ride up on the wearer in the seated position to relieve the tension in the material, thereby exposing the wearer's legs and compromising the sterile field, as well as exposing the clinician to potential contaminants.
A common method to attempt to reduce (relieve) restrictive forces is to incorporate more fabric in the areas placed under tension, such as via pleats, or inserted secondary patches. Another approach suggested in the art is to construct the gown body in its entirety, or entire panel sections, out of an elastomeric or recoverable-stretch material so that when the fabric is subjected to the restrictive forces (the forces encountered by a non-elastomeric fabric), the fabric elongates. Various elastomeric nonwoven materials and fabrics are available for such purpose, including laminates of a nonwoven web and elastomeric film.
A drawback of making the entire gown body, or entire panel portions, of an elastomeric material is that such materials are significantly more costly, and thus add to the overall cost of the product and healthcare in general. Also, depending on the amount and placement of the elastomeric materials, the sterile field may still be compromised by movement of the gown on the wearer.
The present invention relates to a unique configuration for a protective garment, particularly a surgical gown, that has the benefits of elastomeric materials to address certain drawbacks with conventional gowns without sacrificing the gowns protective nature or compromising the sterile field.